The Legend of Bukit Merah

Posted by noelbynature under Folklore, Traditions
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Bukit = Hill, Merah = Red. Hence the modern English name, Redhill. Some of our younger readers might not have heard about the grisly origin of how the hill got its name.

At the recent Bukit Merah community library opening, Ivan the Rambling Librarian recently wrote a couple of posts about the old local legend, retold in comic book form and in text:

Apparently there are a few variations concerning the fate of the boy. The above version is a “sanitised” one because in the version I first read when I was younger, the boy was killed and his blood flowed down the hill making it red.

Seems there is no recorded version of the “Redhill” legend either, though the story of the attack by the swordfish was recorded in the Sejarah Melayu or Malay Annals — a 15th century official account of the Malay-Malaccan royal lineage. In David Brazil’s “Insider’s Singapore” (p. 65, 1999 edition), there’s a sidebar that links the swordfish story to how Tanjong Pagar (somewhere downtown Singapore) — or Cape of Stakes in Malay — got its name.

I’m sure we’ve been a lot more familiar with folktales from other cultures, such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and Cinderella. But there’s also a rich storytelling heritage from this part of the world - have you heard of the Sang Kanchil and the giant, Badak?

Tags: Bukit Merah, Singapore Legends